How long does your carved pumpkin last? I don't know why but I just never thought of doing this, and maybe everyone else is doing it but me, but to me this is a huge discovery!

My kids start their pumpkin carving just as soon as October arrives, I scrape just enough of the inside layer to cook down and use for a little pumpkin snack and then we carve it, only to have it last for no more than 2 days before it get's yucky.

Here come's my big Idea...... when you are not enjoying it, say overnight.............put it in your fridge! ​Take a shopping bag, put the pumpkin in it and in the fridge it goes! We are on day 3 and it looks and smells great! What took me so long to figure this out?

It's the simple things for me:)

oh and by the way, a safety tip! if you have kids or if you are terrified of fire, like I am, get yourself a little led light candle votive! They burn cool and won't pose a burn risk for your kiddos.

My girls are into fairies and so we thought out first carved pumpkin would be a fairy house! Hopefully it will last a few more days!

Next post...what I did with the pumpkin I cooked down:) I through it into everything, even on my face! #pumpkinlove

Showing baby sis how to do it:) I asked her what she thought was inside and she said a baby, so so sweet:) Well the seeds sort of are aren't they! She enjoyed her first pumpkin goop scooping:) and big sis loves showing off her willingness to get messy with her older brother who refuses to scoop!

Our first carved pumpkin of the season, a fairy home lit up with a little led light. #happyoctober #fairyhome

My tiniest thought this looked like a lovely home for peppa pig:) #note never let your kids play with or near a candle lit pumpkin. I use a led light to light our pumpkins for safety!

Step 1 cut off the top of the water bottle just above the label carefully using a sharp pair of scissors.

Cut slits all the way up to the top going all the way around. Spacing them to create petals. You can cut many slits or just four to create different types of flowers.

Bend each plastic petal backwards to create a flower. First do each one individually and then press down gently and carefully on the entire flower.

You have created your basic flower shape! Now you can choose to keep it as it is or shape your petals to resemble the flower of your choice. Think sunflowers, daisies any favorite flower!

Paint your flowers! We took this opportunity to learn about mixing two or more colors to create new colors:) of course we created a lavender flower!

This part is definitely for a grown-up! With a sharp pair of scissors poke a hole in to the top of the lid. Be careful to start with a small size and try out the size of your light which you will be poking through this little hole. don't go too big because you can't go backwards! I just double by simply moving the scissors around carefully in it to make it a little bigger if you need to.

Carefully poke your Christmas lights into the hole.

Will look like this from the front!

We used all different sorts of bottles to create beautiful shaped flowers...everything from large size water bottles to create large flowers to orange juice bottles! Get creative! We originally saw this genius idea on you tube, at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xa1wcNOORpM We modified just a bit by using all sorts of plastic bottles to create different sizes and shapes!

We found this project here, Thanks to this you tube crafting genius who posted this project! htps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xa1wcNOORpM

Even as a gift shop owner, I feel jaded sometimes by the constant Mother's Day Gift ads that pop up in my email, on the computer, at stores, this time of year. To most Mother's it's Not about the gifts, Mother's Day is so much more, it's about your kids making special crafts for you, it's about a day to reflect on your Mothering Journey, a day to get extra hugs, and extra love that day from those that love you, its about celebrating this common bond that we as women share. This Mother's Day I think one of the greatest gifts you could give is to help another Mom. Every Mother Counts is an organization, that I first found when I was searching for information to help me get through the most difficult time, when I lost one of our twin babies at about 14 weeks pregnant. They featured articles by many women who had been through miscarriage and it was so so helpful for me to hear their stories and know that I was not alone. But they are so much more than being an amazing source of support for women, they actually help women around the world to have safe pregnancies and deliveries. Birth Related deaths are very common in many places around the world. Every Mother Counts, lead by model Christy Turlington helps these women, directly, providing them with transportation, supplies and education to delivery their babies safely. Join us in donating to this great cause, and visit www.everymothercounts.org to learn #whatispossible when we all work together. All May we will be donating a portion of sales to this organization. One women dies, every 2 minutes from pregnancy or delivery related complications, and they almost all are preventable! Visit www.everymothercounts.org to see how you can help.

Now through Mother's Day enjoy a free gift basket upgrade on all orders of multiple items being sent to one recipient. Simply choose your items and at checkout leave us a note that you would like the gift basket option. We will arrange your order in a functional basket, bucket or container and deliver in time for Mother's Day! Some exceptions, chocolate and gourmet as well as some wreaths may not be able to be added to a basket, Unless you are in Broward county then you can add anything! Happy mothers Day!!

Lavender! It has so many uses. Not only is it beautiful and the fragrance lovely, but it is also a natural bug repellent, and natural home fragrance. Bug repellent and artificial home fragrances are awful for the earth and for your body! -Just a bundle of lavender or herbal wreath can make your home smell wonderful! -plant some lavender in your garden, using our lavender in a bag, or lavender seed tins, and it will naturally repel Mosquitos!

#2 Garden in a bag kids collection It's never too early to introduce your kids to the world of gardening. Teaching them to be ok with getting their hands in dirt, and teaches them how beautiful nature is, how to care for it, and appreciate it. Shown here, our sunflower in a bag, also available in lavender

#3 organic laundry detergent Amazing Product! Use only one tablespoon per load! Comes by the generous pound, can clean 32-64 loads. Taking small steps to make a BIG difference for the planet. REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT We also do not add harsh foaming agents/surfactants, such as sodium laureth sulfate (beware this chemical is a main ingredient in shampoos and is very toxic to the body when it enters the bloodstream through the dermis). Because of the lack of sulfates, you will not see many bubbles in the wash water, but this is by design and PERFECT because you will eliminate the soapy residue that remains on your clothes when using commercial brands, and the other important fact is that you will not have toxic petrochemicals rubbing against your skin either!!! And did we mention the scent, simply, delicately wonderful!

#4 Garden Sprinkle tins, to grow the perfect flower gardens! Makes such a cute gift, or favor! Each tin contains the perfect blend high quality seeds, tested methodically to create a beautiful themed garden. Choose from butterfly, hummingbird, wildflower, lavender and more. These gardens will attract insects and birds to your garden that help the environment to keep creating more beautiful flowers.

#5 reusable lavender dryer bag We love this lavender dryer bag! Those artificial scented dryer sheets may smell great, but they are bad for your skin and the environment! Thats why we love this organic reusable lavender filled dryer bag! You can use it for up to 4 months and then can be refilled, and can be used for years! Simply toss it into the dryer with your clothes and a light scent of lavender will linger on your clothes.

Ever bought all the ingredients for a recipe, and didn't find the time to actually make what you wanted to make? That's how this recipe came to be:) had everything to make carrot cake for Easter but that didn't happen! Made a quick pancake version and they were not only quick and easy, but also delish!

Ingredients

One small baby food jar of puréed carrots.

One ingredient added pancake mix

Approx 1/2 tsp cinnamon or to taste

Butter for pan

3 tsp of granulated sugar

1/4 cup or so of shredded sweetened coconut

Half a box of cream cheese

Syrup

Peeled carrot for garnish

Directions

Mix together in bowl your pancake mix using box directions or create your own batter with your recipe of choice

Mix in the small jar of baby puréed carrots

Add sugar, about a tsp to sweeten the batter, taste, add a little more if it needs it, but not too much or it will burn easily in pan(don't forget the syrup will add even more sweetness)

Meanwhile, scoop half of cream cheese box out and place in a microwaveable bowl about 20 seconds to melt. Carefully remove bowl and add 1 tsp sugar, taste see if it needs More sweetness and add in small increments if needed.

Place your cooked pancakes on plate, add a dollop of the warm cream cheese frosting to the center of each hot cake and drizzle with syrup. Add a little carrot peel for some extra carrot flavor and cuteness.

I've been selling lavender goods for 12 years! And I have yet to try to make a lavender wand. I adore them, and finally have a Florida variety of lavender growing beautifully so I can at last give it a try. These are great for closets where spiders or silverfish or moths may gather to keep them away. Make sure to keep them away from fabric until completely dry as they may turn them green or purple being that they are fresh. You'll need at least 7 sprigs of lavender! I think we may have a new fairy wand in our house:)

Step 1 Gather your fresh lavender

Step 2 Arrange them on a table side by side.

Step 3 tie at base with the end of 2 feet of ribbon or raffia.

Step 4 gently bruise leaves right below knot to make it easier to bend them.

Step 5 gently fold each stem over to make a cage over the flowers.

Step 6 weave over and under until you reach the bottom (we missed a few but we don't mind) not bad for our first go!

Step 7 tie off with a double knot and voila! You've got a magical lavender wand!